Volvo calls for standardized electric car charging

After parent company Geely called on Chinese carmakers for a united tech platform for new enegy vehicles, Volvo is encouraging its fellow automakers to introduce a standardized charging infrastructure for electric cars.  

Volvo vice president for research & development Dr. Peter Mertens believes that a simple and standardized charging infrastructure is the way to "cement the increasing popularity" of electric vehicles.

Moreover, Dr. Mertens said that a standardized charging infrastructure will address consumers’ fears or anxiety in owning an electric car.   

"We see that a shift towards fully electric cars is already underway, as battery technology improves, costs fall and charging infrastructure is put in place. But while we are ready from a technology perspective, the charging infrastructure is not quite there yet. To really make range anxiety a thing of the past, a globally standardized charging system is sorely needed," said Dr. Mertens.

To support this drive, Volvo is backing up the Combined Charging System (CCS), which will offer both regular and fast charging capabilities that could help make electric car ownership "increasingly practical and convenient."

Volvo explains that the CCS combines single-phase with rapid three-phase charging, using alternating current at a maximum of 43 kilowatts (kW), as well as direct-current charging at a maximum of 200 kW and the future possibility of up to 350 kW – all in a single system.

The Swedish automaker added that the brand will offer a plug-in hybrid variant on every new model as it replaces its entire product lineup in the coming years. Volvo said that they will introduce a fully electric vehicle by 2019, based on the brand’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that was first applied on the all-new XC90.